


Hidden Power: A Lumineon's Story

by AmericanPi



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: Adventure, Cross-Post, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, Gen, POV: Pokemon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-22 19:45:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17668907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmericanPi/pseuds/AmericanPi
Summary: When a Lumineon named Blue gets released into the wild and comes upon a school of starving Finneon and Lumineon, he finds out that the moves he learned while being a Trained Pokemon might just be what the school needs...





	1. Light

"How are you liking it?" Luna asked, gazing into the water at Blue.

Blue gazed up sadly at Luna, knowing that this would probably be the last time he ever saw the old woman who had raised him from an egg. Luna, a tall woman for her age, leaned over the railing along the canal and smiled at the Lumineon who was floating in the water below.

"The water's nice," Blue said, swimming in a quick circle. He spit out a small stream of water and smiled. "Thanks for everything, Luna."

Blue knew that his former trainer could not fully understand him, so he made sure to appear more confident than he actually was. From where he floated in the canal, Luna's wrinkled face was somewhat shadowed against the sunlight, but Blue could tell that she bore an expression of sadness. He understood why she was feeling this way, because he felt somewhat sad as well. He felt somewhat guilty for swimming off into the wild at this moment instead of spending the rest of Luna's life with her. But Blue trusted the rest of Luna's Pokemon, some of whom had been with Luna since she was a girl, and knew that they would ensure that the old woman would spend the final moments of her life in peace and happiness.

"Goodbye, Blue," Luna said, gazing lovingly at the Lumineon who until now was her Pokemon. "You've always wanted to see the ocean, and now you're free to explore. Thank you for all the memories. I'm so proud of you, and I know that your parents are as well."

"Yeah," Blue said, nodding. He turned towards his parents, who were floating in the water next to him and accompanying Luna in sending Blue off. "Bye Mom. Bye Dad. Take care of Luna, alright?"

"I'm so happy for you, son," Blue's mother, a Lumineon named Turquoise, said proudly. "And don't worry. We'll make sure Luna is doing alright."

"We're so proud of you," Blue's father, a Luvdisc named Peach, added, kissing Blue on the cheek. "Your hunting skills have become very impressive, and I'm sure you'll do great in the wild. Go have fun, dear."

"I will, Dad," Blue said, nuzzling against his father, who was much smaller than him but had taught him so much. He turned towards Turquoise. "And Mom, thanks for taking care of Luna. I can't wait to see the sea, but I'll always remember you guys."

"I will never forget you, my dear son," Peach declared, kissing Blue on the cheek again. "I suppose now is a good time for you to begin the next stage of your life. Goodbye, and good luck."

"Goodbye, Mom and Dad," Blue said. He gazed upwards at Luna, feeling somewhat saddened by the fact that this would be the last time he saw her but also feeling excited about what was to come. "Goodbye, Luna."

"Farewell, Blue," Luna said one more time, waving. Blue nodded, turned tail, and dove into the water, swimming away from his old life and towards new discoveries.

The water in the canal in Canalave City was clear and cool, but Blue was looking for something bigger. From the day he was hatched under Luna's care he had always wished to see the ocean and maybe one day live in it. He knew that he just needed to follow the sun to where it set, and he was swimming north now, knowing that soon he would encounter the sea.

Blue continued swimming towards the ocean, cutting through the water as the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky. He knew he wasn't the fastest swimmer out there, but he was in no rush to reach the ocean - he was going to enjoy the city while he was here. Realizing that there was no way he could see the city sights while submerged so deeply, Blue swam upwards until he breached the surface. Now he could observe Canalave City on either side of him.

Blue smiled. This was quite relaxing, being able to swim for so long without any disruptions. He had gone on swims before while being Luna's Pokemon, and practiced hunting quite a lot using the toys Luna provided, but this was different. This experience he was having now, of truly being on his own, felt frightening and exciting at the same time.

A flock of Wingull flew overhead, and a Magikarp swam past him. Blue paid them no attention - he had seen plenty of Wingull and Magikarp in the past, and he hoped to reach the ocean by the end of the day. Blue also made a mental note to hunt once he got to the ocean. He was full from the Pokemon food Luna had given him this morning, but he knew that hunting would become a regular activity now that he was a wild Pokemon. Blue found himself swimming faster with anticipation. Soon, he was finally going to be able to put what he learned into good use.

As the sun began to set, Blue turned on his internal luminescence, making the lighter spots on his large fins glow with a strong blue light. He smiled in satisfaction to himself, because now he could see the water ahead of him better. He continued swimming towards the sea.

Out of the corner of his eye, Blue caught sight of a Starmie swimming alongside him, probably drawn to his light. Blue smirked. He wasn't exactly hungry right now, and he didn't flash his lights for the purpose of hunting, but prey was prey, and this bit of food had literally just swam into his trap. Besides, Starmie was the favorite food of his species. Though he had never eaten a Starmie himself, his instinct urged him to make a meal out of this particular Pokemon.

Turning around and facing the Starmie, Blue readied his favorite move, Hidden Power. He had learned it thanks to a Technical Machine Luna bought for him a few years ago, and had listened eagerly when Luna told him that Hidden Power varied in type depending on the user of the move. Blue wasted no time in firing off several orbs of green energy, which exploded against his prey, knocking it out. To weaken his prey even more, his used Hidden Power one more time. Now that the Starmie was out cold, Blue lunged forward, biting on the Starmie hard on its central orb and shattering the vital organ to kill the prey Pokemon.

Blue stopped swimming forward for a while to eat his fill, attacking the succulent Starmie flesh. It was strange, eating another Pokemon, but he knew it had to be done if he was to survive. He was surprised at how easy and satisfying hunting was, however. He thanked Arceus for his sharp instincts, knowing that he would soon get used to hunting for every meal.

He also thanked Arceus for the fact that he had been blessed with a Grass-type Hidden Power.

"Lucky you," Luna had said after the Hidden Power Man examined Blue, declaring that the Pokemon's Hidden Power was Grass-type. "Grass-type Hidden Power will really help you in battle. It's good against other Water-types especially."

Luna was right. Blue had fought several casual battles along with his trainer, and in many of those battles Hidden Power turned out to be a useful element of surprise against his foes. He found himself thanking Luna again, this time for buying the machine that taught him the enigmatic attack. He knew it would be especially useful now that he was a wild Pokemon and would have to attack other Water-types, whether they were predators, prey, or competitors.

Blue sighed contentedly as he nibbled up the last bits of his meal. Now that he had eaten to his heart's content, and would probably be full for the next day at least, Blue allowed the remains of the Starmie to sink to the bottom of the canal.

He barely had time to relax before, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the gaping jaw of a Gyarados barreling towards him.

"Ack!" Blue screamed as adrenaline shot through him, his heart rate quickening and his eyes widening. He darted quickly to one side, narrowly avoiding his death as the Gyarados breached the surface and its jaws closed around thin air rather than Lumineon flesh. Bubbles rose in columns around Blue as he swam as quickly as he could away from the predator. He wasn't fast enough. The Gyarados turned and dove towards Blue again, its jaws wide open. Knowing that fleeing wasn't an option now, Blue whirled around and fired as many orbs of Hidden Power as he could towards his adversary, hoping that the attack would at least distract the Gyarados for long enough for Blue to hide somewhere.

The Gyarados reeled slightly from the attack, but Blue knew that his Hidden Power would only delay the predator a little. Thinking quickly, Blue swam away as quickly as he could, but not before turning back to his foe and blowing a Sweet Kiss at the serpent. This was a move he had known ever since he was hatched. Luna had explained to him that he had inherited Sweet Kiss from Peach, his Luvdisc father.

Blue turned tail and fled, breathing heavily as he swam as quickly as he could away from the Gyarados. He didn't care which way he was swimming - he hoped he was swimming towards the ocean, but he was fine with wherever he was going as long as he was swimming away from his predator. Blue didn't dare to look back at the Gyarados and see if the Sweet Kiss had succeeded in making the serpent confused, but judging by the fact that he was still alive, Blue knew that he had at least confused the predator enough for him to be safe.

As Blue continued swimming as fast as he could - he was relieved that he had picked the right direction and was swimming towards the ocean - he felt a slight tremor rock the canal. He looked behind him in confusion and saw that, in the distance, the Gyarados that had tried to eat him earlier was swinging its head around. The serpent had its lower body submerged in the water, while its upper body was flailing about, knocking down the trees and fences that surrounded Canalave Canal.

 _So it's confused,_ Blue thought with satisfaction as he dove deeper into the water, not wanting to be found by the canal's resident Gyarados once it snapped out of its confusion. As Blue slowed down, hugging the bottom of the canal, he felt a little bad - partially because his ordeal with the Gyarados had left his full stomach churning uncomfortably, and partially because he knew that he had caused the Gyarados's confused rampage. The residents of Canalave City were going to have to make several repairs - and calm down the confused Gyarados, of course.

 _I wish this didn't have to happen,_ Blue thought. Then he laughed. _What the heck, I'm alive. Who cares about what the Gyarados is doing to Canalave City. They'll manage._

Blue continued swimming towards the ocean, more slowly than before because his stomach was so full. He still felt a little sick, but as his heart rate slowed down his discomfort lessened. Blue extinguished his lights - he had just learned the hard way that his lights could attract predators as well as prey - and looked behind him often to make sure that he was safe from predators, whether they were Gyarados or other predatory Pokemon like Tentacruel or Pelipper.

 _My first day as a wild Pokemon, and already so much has happened,_ Blue thought to himself as he swam, making sure to stay aware of his surroundings. _It's scary, but exciting at the same time. I'm so glad that I have Hidden Power and Sweet Kiss to help me survive in the wild._

Blue still felt that he had made the right choice when he decided to become a wild Pokemon. Even though there was the threat of predators to worry about, Blue was sure that, with his battling experience, he could deal with them easily enough. His parents and Luna had taught him well - Peach had passed on Sweet Kiss to him, Turquoise had instructed him on the wild Pokemon lifestyle, while Luna had battled with him and taught him Hidden Power with that Technical Machine.

 _Thanks, everyone,_ Blue thought as he spotted a Tentacruel in the distance. He sighed, thinking that he would have to fight another battle so soon after his battle with the Gyarados, when he had an idea.

Blue, not keen on encountering another predator, swam upwards and towards the side of the canal until he was hugging the canal wall and sure that he was out of sight of the Jellyfish Pokemon. He considered swimming to the surface, but remembered that Pelipper liked to pluck unsuspecting fish Pokemon that wandered too close to the water's surface, so he glanced upwards quickly to make sure it was safe. Upon seeing three shapes circling far overhead, Blue decided that it was best to stay where he was. Here, he knew, he would be safe from the Tentacruel down below and hidden from the Pelipper up above.

 _Good one, Blue,_ Blue thought with satisfaction. _You're really getting the hang of this wild Pokemon thing._

Blue didn't know when the canal ended and the sea began, but after some time swimming, he became aware that the water around him was getting warmer. He shone his lights tentatively and examined his surroundings, noticing that he could no longer see the walls of the canal. Instead, surrounding him were a few growths of prickly pink coral.

"I must be at the ocean now," Blue said quietly to himself, his heart quickening with excitement. He darted forward, his fins and tail moving rapidly as he swam into the reef. He floated in place, looking around in amazement. In addition to coral, Blue could see rocks, seaweed, and fish - not fish Pokemon, but actual animal fish. A small, slimy, pink Pokemon - Blue was pretty sure it was called a Shellos - crawled along the sandy seafloor. In the distance, Blue could see a swarm of Tentacool swimming through the expansive area.

 _This is great,_ Blue thought happily. I can totally settle down here. _It would be nice if I could see some of my kind, but this place isn't bad._

Night had fallen a while ago, and Blue suddenly realized how dark the ocean was, and how tired he was after swimming for practically the whole day. He decided to settle down for the night and explore his new home tomorrow.

Blue scanned the floor of this stretch of ocean for a place to sleep and spotted an underwater cave in the distance. _Perfect,_ he thought. The cave was too small for a predator like Gyarados to fit through. The thought of predators sent a chill down Blue's spine as he remembered that just because he was in the ocean didn't mean that he was safe from predators. For the next stage of his life, Blue realized, he would have to worry about staying safe. But Blue mostly felt excited, and knew that, with his battling experience, he was strong enough to fight or run away from potential predators.

 _Besides, Gyarados won't be able to fit into this cave,_ Blue assured himself as he swam quickly towards the cavern. The opening was small, but it seemed to Blue that the cave was quite spacious on the inside. He approached the entrance, shining his light tentatively into it.

"Hey, who's there?" a voice called. Blue shrank back in shock.

In the darkness he could make out a pattern of fins, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he found out that the voice belonged to another Lumineon.

 _She's one of my kind!_ Blue thought excitedly, but knew that he had to be careful, because he didn't know if this Lumineon was friendly.

"I'm one of you," Blue said, swimming forward into the cave tentatively and facing the other Neon Pokemon. Now that he had a better view of the other Lumineon, Blue was surprised at how small and scared she looked.

"I don't recognize you," the female Lumineon said with a quiet voice. "Are you new here?"

"Yeah," Blue said truthfully, looking around at the spacious cavern. "I just got released into the wild. I swam all the way from Canalave Canal today." He yawned. "Do you think it's possible for me to stay here for the night? I'm exhausted. I can leave tomorrow morning, if you need me to."

"Oh no, you don't have to leave," the small Lumineon said quickly. "Uh, what I mean is, feel free to stay for the night, but I do hope that you can talk to the Teacher tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," Blue yawned, too tired to give his situation much thought. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" He swam to a corner of the cave and settled down onto its sandy bottom, extinguishing his lights. "I hope I'm not in trouble."

"Oh no, of course you aren't," the other Lumineon said softly. "I just hope you can help us, if it's okay with you, of course." She extinguished her lights as well. "Good night."

"Night," Blue murmured drowsily, closing his eyes. He only had to wait a short while before sleep overtook him.

_To be continued…_

* * *

 

"With its shining light, it lures its prey close. However, the light also happens to attract ferocious fish Pokemon - its natural predators." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from _Pokemon Sun_


	2. Prey

Blue woke to weak sunlight filtering through the cave opening. He looked around, confused, before realizing that he was a wild Pokemon now, and was in a deep-sea cave. He stirred, stretching his fins, and blinked a few times in the morning light.

Suddenly, he remembered the small Lumineon he had talked to last night. What was it that she wanted? Something about seeing a Teacher? From what Blue knew, the Lumineon he had talked to needed some help. Swimming deeper into the cavern, Blue began looking for her or other Lumineon, but after combing the entire cave and calling out a few times it became clear to Blue that the cave was deserted, completely devoid of Pokemon.

_Huh,_  Blue thought, confused. He decided that the Lumineon he had spoken to last night had swam off to somewhere else, and the group of Pokemon that apparently needed help was elsewhere.

Swimming out of the cave and into the deep ocean, Blue decided to hunt. He wasn't exactly hungry right now - he was still full from yesterday's Starmie - but he knew he could always save the prey for later. He swam upwards and scanned the floor below for movement, but spotted nothing in this particular section of reef. The seafloor sloped downwards in front of him, and he decided to dive deeper in search of prey. Besides, some exploring would not hurt. Blue swam to the seafloor and began using the sturdy fins on his belly to crawl downhill. This way, he knew, it would be easy to burrow into the sand in case a rogue Gyarados or Tentacruel appeared.

As the ocean darkened and the reef became sparser, Blue began to worry that this particular stretch of the ocean was lifeless - even though he had seen plenty of Pokemon the day before, he couldn't see any today. Even the animals seemed to be hiding. He turned on his lights, illuminating the area around him. A little while after he turned his lights on, he spotted a squishy pink Shellos in the distance, emerging from a hole in the sand.

_Nice,_  Blue thought, using his belly fins to carefully dig into the sand. He buried himself in the sand, only leaving his eyes and his glowing fins above the surface. He watched with anticipation as the Shellos crawled closer, and, at the right moment, burst out of his hiding place and fired several Hidden Power attacks at his soon-to-be prey.

The Shellos keeled over from the impact, and Blue got ready to lunge forward to land the killing bite on the Pokemon, but suddenly a new Pokemon burst out of the sand. Blue yelped and tumbled backwards at the sight of the large, blue fish Pokemon, whom he vaguely knew was called a Lanturn. The yellow areas of the Lanturn's body, including the orb protruding from his head, glowed as he unleashed an electric attack.

"Argh!" Blue yelled in pain as the electric current coursed through his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, wondering why the Lanturn had just attacked him like that, when he was vaguely aware of movement in the water in front of him. Jolting his eyes open, Blue saw that the Lanturn who had discharged the electricity was biting the Shellos on its neck, killing it in preparation of turning it into prey. Blue still reeled from the electrical shock, but anger bubbled inside of him as the Lanturn grabbed the now-dead Shellos in his mouth and began swimming away.

_So that's why he attacked me,_  Blue thought bitterly.  _He wanted my food. But that's not fair! I got to it first!_

Part of Blue wanted to swim after and confront the thief, but he knew that he probably couldn't take any more of the Lanturn's Electric-type attacks. The last thing he wanted was a fight against a foe who had a type advantage against him. But he wasn't going to just let the Lanturn get away, either. So he chose the middle-ground option.

Following the Lanturn, who was now swimming away with the Shellos prey, Blue puckered up his mouth and unleashed a gentle-looking pink heart from it. Blue watched in satisfaction as the Sweet Kiss floated over to the Lanturn and struck him on his body, surrounding him with a pink glow.

The Lanturn's eyes turned into swirls as he dropped the dead Shellos and wobbled around, clearly confused. Blue seized the chance and darted forward, grabbing the Shellos in his mouth and swimming quickly away. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Lanturn banging his head against a nearby rock, and he felt bad for a while. But Blue quickly assured himself that he, who now had his prey, was more deserving of the Shellos than the Lanturn, and the Lanturn would snap out of confusion soon anyways. By then, Blue thought proudly to himself, the two competitors would be far, far away from each other.

Blue settled down behind a large coral formation and placed the dead Shellos on the sandy sea floor. The prey was heavy, and Blue was still reeling somewhat from the Discharge attack. The Lumineon decided to rest for a little while, and then move on, putting as much distance between himself and the Lanturn as possible.

Blue relaxed, settling down onto the sand, when he became aware of a pink light coming from behind a nearby rock. He could tell instantly that the light belonged to a Finneon. Blue suddenly realized that it had been a long time since he saw another Finneon, considering that he himself was a Finneon very long ago. Blue was about to call out gently to the new Pokemon when the source of the light emerged from behind the rock. A female Finneon floated tentatively a few yards away from Blue, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Whoa!" she yelled with a voice full of energy. "How did you  _do_  that!?"

Blue noticed that this Finneon, like the Lumineon he saw the night before, looked relatively small in size and dull in color. He shrugged his observation off, attributing it to chance variation, and answered the young Finneon.

"Uh, I was hunting," Blue said tentatively. "I'm not sure how much of it you saw, but I attacked the Shellos with my Grass-type Hidden Power. Then a Lanturn shocked me and the Shellos and tried to steal this bit of prey away from me, but I didn't want that to happen, so I used Sweet Kiss on the Lanturn to confuse him and make him drop the Shellos." Blue noticed that the Finneon's mouth was wide open. "Uh, I heard that wild Lumineon don't know how to use Sweet Kiss or Hidden Power. I learned Sweet Kiss from my dad, who's a Luvdisc, and Hidden Power from a Technical Machine my former trainer bought for me."

"Wait, so you're saying that you aren't from here?" the young female Finneon asked, her eyes still wide with awe.

"Uh, no," Blue said, slightly amused by the Finneon's dramatic reactions. "I was hatched under the care of a Trainer in Canalave City." He swallowed, emotion suddenly welling up inside him. "She… won't be around for much longer. I've always wanted to see the ocean and live as a wild Pokemon, so she released me the other day in Canalave Canal."

"You're a Trained Pokemon!" the Finneon squealed, doing a loop-de-loop in the water. "You  _have_  to see our School Teacher. You might just be what we need!" Seeing Blue's confused expression, the Finneon added, "I'm Light, by the way. My mom, Shannon, told me that she talked to a stranger last night in the cavern. Was that you?"

"I think," Blue said. "A female Lumineon told me that she wanted me to see a Teacher, or something. I fell asleep after she said that, and I didn't see any Finneon or Lumineon when I woke up. I was pretty sure no one was in the cave, so I just went out to hunt."

"We had to clear out of the cave to look for food," Light said, a tinge of sadness in her voice. Blue suddenly noticed again how small she looked. "All of us. But as usual, we had no luck against those Chinchou and Lanturn. There's more of us, and we might be faster than them, but numbers and speed doesn't do anything against Electric-type attacks."

"Wait… so you're telling me that you're hungry?" Blue asked, his eyes widening. He had no idea until now how difficult a wild Pokemon's life could be.

"I'm starving," Light said sadly. She eyed the Shellos meat hungrily and said, "Can I have that?"

"Oh, sure, take all of it," Blue said quickly, ashamed that he hadn't noticed Light's hunger sooner. "I'm not hungry at all. You need it a lot more than I do."

"You sure?" Light asked. When Blue nodded, she exclaimed, "Thank you very much!" and took a huge bite out of the Shellos meat.

Blue watched sadly as the young Finneon gobbled down pieces of the Shellos as if she hadn't had anything to eat for days. And considering her small size, Blue realized, that might be true. So there was a school of wild Finneon and Lumineon in this stretch of the ocean, but it was struggling to compete against the wild Lanturn for food and resources.

"Ack, I need to take some to the school!" Light exclaimed suddenly, her mouth still full. "Argh, I shouldn't have eaten so much for myself!" She looked up at Blue hopefully. "D'you think you can help me carry this prey to our camp? The Teacher will be so happy to see you and tell you what's going on. You've got nice moves, and I think you can really help us."

Blue could barely make out the pleading tone behind Light's cheerful voice. He found himself weighing his options. Was he ready to fight who knows how many Lanturn on behalf of a school of Finneon and Lumineon he didn't even know? As he watched a single Lanturn use an electric attack on two Lumineon in the distance, he knew that the answer was yes. There was no way that Blue was going to let his own kind starve.

"Let me help you," Blue said kindly, grasping the Shellos meat in his mouth. Light carried the prey in her mouth as well, and Blue mumbled "Lead the way" around a mouthful of Shellos meat.

"Yeah," Light said as she began swimming forward. The two of them passed several Pokemon and coral formations until they reached an undersea cave that was smaller than the one Blue slept in during his first day in the ocean. Light flashed the patterns on her body, and a slightly larger-looking Finneon swam to the mouth of the cave to greet her.

"I smell food!" the male Finneon exclaimed. His eyes rested on the prey Blue and Light were carrying. "Light, you're awesome! Who's this new guy?"

Light released the Shellos meat from the grasp of her jaw, leaving Blue carrying the prey by himself. "Oh my Arceus, Frankie, you won't believe how awesome Blue is," Light gushed, as Blue looked down, somewhat embarrassed. "He was the one who caught this Shellos, and you won't believe how! Let's go in so we can see the Teacher and tell her  _everything_! After we let her have some of this food, of course."

"Yeah, let's go," Frankie said excitedly. "Follow me, Blue!" With that, he swam into the cavern. Light nodded at Blue, picked up the Shellos meat, and began swimming after Frankie. Blue followed, eager to meet this mysterious Teacher and maybe gain some insight into what was troubling this school of Finneon and Lumineon.

Light flashed her patterns again as she swam deeper into the cavern, which was not very large but was still a nice hiding place. Pretty soon, an elderly female Lumineon came into view, her lights glowing dimly as she swam forward tentatively. Blue immediately noticed that she looked small and frail as well.

_So even the elders of this school are struggling,_  Blue thought sadly.

"Hello, Frankie, hello, Light," the old Lumineon said with a creaky but gentle voice. "I may be old enough to remember colder seas, but I can still smell the unmistakeable scent of Shellos meat." She examined Blue, who flashed his patterns in greeting. "Hello, stranger. Frankie and Light must have brought you to me for a reason. Were you the one who caught this very good piece of prey?"

"Greetings," Blue said, dipping his head with respect. "I did indeed catch and kill this Shellos for food. Light here seemed to be impressed by the way I caught this piece of prey, and she asked me to come with her to see a Teacher." He glanced at Light and Frankie, who grinned. Glancing back at the elderly Lumineon, he said, "I assume that you are the Teacher Light was talking about?"

"That is correct," the old female Lumineon said, smiling. "I am the Teacher of the Southwest Sea School - a school leader and advisor, of sorts - but you may call me Leona." She studied the half-eaten Shellos curiously. "How did the Shellos get like this? Did you steal it from Lanturn who were feasting on it before you came along?"

"Uh, no," Blue said truthfully, taken aback slightly by Leona's assumption. "I attacked this Shellos with Hidden Power and was about to bite it and kill it when a Lanturn popped out of the sand in front of me and used an electric attack on me and the Shellos."

"Then Blue used Sweet Kiss on the Lanturn, making him confused!" Light cut in, her patterns flashing with excitement. "I mean, the Lanturn tried to steal the Shellos from Blue, but Blue wasn't letting that thief get away so he used this move called Sweet Kiss on the Lanturn to make him drop the prey. I saw the whole thing! Blue was awesome! He told me that he learned Sweet Kiss from his Luvdisc dad and Hidden Power from this thing called a Technical Machine."

"Oh my Arceus," Leona said, her eyes widening. "Blue, if your Hidden Power attack is truly powerful enough to turn this Shellos into this state…"

"Actually, this Shellos looks half-eaten because I took a few bites out of it," Light interrupted, looking down with embarrassment. "Blue's Sweet Kiss dealt with the Lanturn, and when the Lanturn was out of the way I ate some of this Shellos." Upon seeing the reproachful look from Leona, Light quickly and defensively added, "But I talked to Blue first! I told him about us and how hungry we were, and he let me eat because I was starving. But I made sure to take some to you! You can have the rest, honest."

"Thank you, Light," Leona said, taking a large bite out of the Shellos meat. She chewed and swallowed her mouthful before turning to Blue and saying, "I hope Light is telling the truth when she says that she had your permission to take your catch to me."

"Of course Light is telling the truth," Blue said. "And honestly, Leona, if your School needs help I'd be happy to provide it. It's been awhile since I last saw another Finneon or Lumineon, and I'm definitely willing to help my kind."

"If that is the case, I would honestly like to request your help," Leona said, taking another bite of the Shellos meat. "We are struggling to stay alive against the threat of Chinchou and Lanturn taking our food. No one has keeled over from starvation yet, but we're all pretty weak - far too weak to ward off our enemies' electric attacks for long. It has gotten harder for us to outswim predators, too. It was only a few days ago when Landon died. A Tentacruel got him."

"Oh no, I'm sorry," Blue said sincerely. He felt a pain in his chest as he observed Light's heartbroken expression. Was Landon a loved one of Light's? Was the young female Finneon using her cheerfulness to cover up her pain?

"He was my  _dad_ ," Light wailed. "He wanted to leave us and find a Trainer, but he decided to stay with the School because he wanted to help us. Now I wish he left us, because then he'd be alive."

"We don't know that," Frankie pointed out. "He still might have been caught by that Tentacruel on his way to the Human Place."

"Not helping, Frankie!" Light yelled angrily. She turned tail and darted out of the cave, sobbing.

Leona took a final bite of the Shellos and turned to Frankie, glaring at the young male Finneon reproachfully.

"Frankie," Leona said, her mouth still somewhat full, "please store the rest of this Shellos in the back of the cave and leave all of it for our hatchlings." Her tone hardened. "If I catch you eating any of it, you will be in  _big_ trouble. You're already in enough trouble for hurting your schoolmate like that."

"Sh-should I find Light and apologize to her?" Frankie asked tentatively, looking down. All of his cheekiness seemed to have dissolved like salt in seawater.

"Yes, after you take the Shellos meat to our hatchlings," Leona said. "You know the consequences of you not doing as I say. I hate to be harsh, but we're trying to survive here."

"I understand, Teacher Leona," Frankie said, dipping his head and grasping the remains of the meat with his jaws. He swam off slowly, mostly because he was carrying the piece of prey. Blue felt a stab of sympathy for this particular school of Finneon and Lumineon - Light, Light's mother Shannon, Teacher Leona, and even Frankie. He became even more determined to help them.

"Uh," Blue said awkwardly, "Do you need me to do anything?"

"Yes, I would appreciate your help," Leona said, turning back to Blue. "As I was saying, we are struggling against the Lanturn. Even the Chinchou, whom we consume as prey sometimes, are getting to be too strong for us to handle. We would appreciate your help, Blue. I know it seems too much to ask, but do you think you can join our School? The moves you learned while being a Trained Pokemon will help our survival greatly, especially because none of us wild-hatched Finneon and Lumineon know how to use those moves."

"Uh…" Blue hesitated. He really didn't know why he had to think about joining this School of Finneon and Lumineon. They were his kind, and they needed him, but part of Blue wished he didn't have to make such a big commitment. He wished he could just swim back to Canalave Canal and fend for only himself. It would be so much easier that way, and he wouldn't have to deal with electric attacks.

_What are you thinking, Blue? Snap out of it!_  Blue thought angrily to himself as Leona gazed at him expectantly.

"Uh, okay," Blue said, nodding. As he saw the gratitude on Leona's face, he knew he made the right choice in joining the School. He just hoped that the Lanturn wouldn't hurt him too much.

"Thank you, Blue," Leona sighed, smiling. "We will be highly grateful for any help you give to us. Why don't we - you and me - go hunting? I'd like to see your abilities with my own two eyes."

"What, now?" Blue asked in surprise. He had hoped to get some rest or eat some Berries, because he was still sore from the electric attack he had taken.

"You will soon realize that living in the Southwest Sea as a wild Lumineon is tough, Blue," Leona said, an edge to her voice. "I don't know what kind of lives Trained Pokemon have, but I assure you that you will have to spend a lot more time hunting for food now that you are a wild Pokemon. We don't exactly have much time for resting, you know."

"Oh, uh, right," Blue said quickly, deciding not to mention the fact that he wanted some berries and rest because Leona seemed to be on edge. He began swimming towards the cave opening. "Uh, Teacher Leona, I guess you can follow me and I can show you how I hunt."

"Sure," Leona said, leaving her spot on the cave floor to follow Blue. "I really am curious about your moves. This isn't the first time a Trained Pokemon has joined our School, but this may be the first time where a Trained Pokemon could hold the answer to our struggles."

"Yeah, maybe," Blue said.

He highly doubted that his Hidden Power and Sweet Kiss attacks would be enough to completely deal with the Lanturn, but he figured it was worth a shot.

_To be continued…_

"It lives on the deep-sea floor. It attracts prey by flashing the patterns on its four tail fins." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from  _Pokemon Diamond_


	3. Predators

Blue and Leona swam in silence for a while as they approached the area Blue hunted in earlier. This stretch of the ocean looked exactly the same as it had looked when Blue caught the Shellos, except right now a Chinchou was nibbling the coral that coated the rocks.

"Teacher Leona?" Blue whispered, nudging the older Lumineon.

"Yes?" Leona replied quietly.

"You can watch me from here. I'll go catch that Chinchou."

Leona's eyes widened. "But it has electric attacks…" she murmured.

"Don't worry about that," Blue said softly. "I have the moves to deal with it."

"What about that Tentacruel up there?"

"What?"

"There's a Tentacruel up there," Leona pointed out, her eyes watching the predator Pokemon warily. Blue followed her gaze, and sure enough, a Tentacruel was swimming lazily in the distance above them.

"Oh, come on," Blue muttered in annoyance. He glanced at the Chinchou, and then at Leona. "Uh, I'll just catch that Chinchou and then get the heck out of here."

"Don't be ridiculous, Blue," Leona sighed. "That'll just attract the Tentacruel to you, and it'll make a meal out of both you and the Chinchou. Let's lay low, crawl to a rock or something, and hide there until the Tentacruel is gone. We can burrow into the sand if things get bad."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Blue said, settling down onto the seafloor. Leona followed suit, and the two Lumineon crawled quietly using their front fins towards a rock, sneaking furtive glances at both the Tentacruel and the Chinchou all the while. Thankfully, crawling allowed the Lumineon to be undetected by both their potential predator and their potential prey. Blue and Leona settled safely behind the large rock and waited. The Chinchou continued feeding on coral, and after a while of watching Leona spoke.

"It generally isn't a good idea to hunt Chinchou," Leona murmured. The Tentacruel was now sneaking up on an unsuspecting Magikarp, and Blue thought that this was a good time to grab the Chinchou, considering that the Tentacruel was occupied. But upon hearing what Leona had to say, Blue hesitated and turned to the Teacher.

"The Lanturn might appear to defend their young," Leona explained. She glanced upwards, making sure that the Tentacruel was still busy, and continued, "They're like us - they like to burrow under the sand and pop out when you least expect them to."

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way yesterday," Blue chuckled. He turned back to the Chinchou, which was now swimming away. "I'm going for it, Teacher Leona. You'll see for yourself soon enough that I know how to deal with a Lanturn or two."

"Are you sure?" Leona asked. Glancing upwards again, she said, "Well, if you're so sure of yourself, you should probably hurry. That Magikarp won't satisfy that Tentacruel's hunger for long."

"I'll be quick," Blue said. He peered at the Chinchou from behind his rock and unleashed a Sweet Kiss attack. Blue watched as the heart made its way towards the Chinchou… and missed the prey Pokemon by a wide margin.

"Dang it," Blue muttered. "Uh, sometimes Sweet Kiss misses its target." The Chinchou was now taking notice of the pink heart and turning towards Blue in confusion.

"Plan B!" Blue exclaimed. Without giving Leona any time to react, he darted forward and fired several green orbs of Hidden Power at the Chinchou. The Angler Pokemon reeled from the attack, and Blue wasted no time in landing the killing blow. Just as Blue was about to relax and take his catch back to Leona, he noticed a tentacle descending rapidly towards him.

"Leona grab it!" Blue yelled quickly, hoping that Leona would understand what he was saying and take the Chinchou he was now dropping. Blue readied a Hidden Power attack. He wasn't fast enough. The Tentacruel's tentacle wrapped around him.

_I can't die, not now!_  Blue thought angrily as he unleashed a Sweet Kiss with what he was sure was going to be his last gasp of breath.  _Please work…_  Blue thought, fearing that the attack would either miss or not cause the Tentacruel to be confused enough to release him. The tentacle tightened, squeezing the air out of Blue, before it suddenly relaxed.

Blue swam as quickly as he could away - he didn't particularly care where - his fins moving rapidly as he breathed heavily. He looked around, disoriented, before he spotted Leona bouncing up and down on the head of the Tentacruel that had tried to eat Blue. Blue watched in confusion before realizing that Leona was attacking the predator with a Bounce attack. The dead Chinchou was safely in the jaws of a newcomer, who was watching the scene from behind a rock. Blue recognized the newcomer as the Lumineon he had spoken to during his first night in the ocean. He was pretty sure that her name was Shannon, and she was Light's mother.

Blue nodded at Shannon and swam as quickly as he could towards Leona, joining her in fighting the Tentacruel. He fired several orbs of Hidden Power at the Jellyfish Pokemon as Leona continued to attack it with her Bounce attack. The Tentacruel turned towards Blue and tried to jab the Lumineon with a poison-tipped tentacle, but in its confused state the Tentacruel missed Blue by a wide margin. Instead of hitting Blue, the tentacle turned back and jabbed its owner. Blue smirked and fired a final ball of Grass-type energy at the predator. It exploded as it made contact with the Tentacruel, and with this hit the Jellyfish Pokemon began sinking towards the seafloor, clearly knocked out cold.

Blue quickly followed Leona to the hiding place behind the rock, where Shannon was guarding the Chinchou prey. Only then did he and Leona relax.

"Phew," Leona sighed, plopping down onto the sand. "This is why we never go out alone."

"Pardon?" Blue asked.

"We Finneon and Lumineon do everything in partners or small groups," Leona explained. "That way, when we're hunting or doing whatever, we can fight together if it's necessary."

"Those were some amazing moves back there," Shannon said, addressing Blue. "I assume that you're the Lumineon I spoke to last night? Did you talk to Leona and join our School?"

Blue nodded. "I did," he said. "I'm Blue, by the way."

"I'm Shannon," the younger female Lumineon said, confirming her identity.

"Nice to meet you," Blue said, his heart rate slowing down now that he was relaxed. "Me and Leona think that the moves I learned as a Trained Pokemon - Hidden Power and Sweet Kiss - could help the School. We were just hunting, so that I could show Leona my moves." He laughed sheepishly. "I'm not sure how much of this you saw, but it didn't exactly go as planned."

"Well," Leona said, chuckling, "This hunting trip may not have gone  _completely_  as planned, but you did demonstrate mastery over your Hidden Power and Sweet Kiss attacks." She smiled broadly at Blue. "This is the second day in a row where you helped us find food! I cannot wait until I call the School together in an Assembly and announce that you are joining us."

Blue nodded. "I think I can definitely be of help," he said. He turned to Leona. "Shall I help you carry the Chinchou back to… uh…"

"Base Camp is the cave you slept in last night," Shannon offered helpfully. "We have several smaller camps around the West Sea, and we use them during the daytime when we're hunting, but every night we come back to Base Camp to sleep."

"I see," Blue said. "Shall we swim back to Base Camp, then? It's getting late."

"Have some berries first, Blue," Shannon suggested, using her front fins to dig into the sand, revealing a modest pile of Oran Berries. She glanced at Leona. "Is it okay if we ate some? We might run into trouble on our way back to Base Camp, and we don't want all of us to be knocked out when we have this nice piece of prey with us."

"Good idea, Shannon," Leona said approvingly. "That was smart of you to bring those berries along with you."

"I was just helping Ripple collect some berries when I happened upon you two," Shannon said. "Blue can eat two Oran Berries, because he sustained the most damage from that Tentacruel, and you and me can have one each. That leaves five for the School, which we can take back to Base Camp along with this Chinchou."

"Which makes for an excellent haul," Leona chuckled. She nodded at Blue. "Help yourself. You must be tired from fighting that Tentacruel."

_And that Lanturn from earlier,_  Blue thought, but he kept his mouth shut as he nodded gratefully at Leona and ate his portion.

When everyone was done, Leona said, "Let's go back to Base Camp, Blue. I will call an Assembly and introduce the School to you - Ripple especially, because he's the Berry Fish."

Blue nodded gratefully, though he was somewhat confused by Leona's terminology. "Thanks," he said. "Lead the way, Leona."

"Right," Leona said briskly, leaving the sandy floor. "Shannon, take the prey and follow me, and Blue, be our guard. I'll take the Oran Berries."

"Got it," Blue said, as Shannon nodded, grasped the Chinchou in her mouth, and began following Leona, who grasped the long stems of the Oran Berries and began swimming. Blue brought up the rear, and the three Lumineon swam towards the base camp of the West Sea School. Blue kept on the lookout for predators as they swam, but nothing was too close for comfort. He was about to relax as he saw the base camp cave in the distance, but suddenly a powerful jolt of electricity appeared out of nowhere zapped his body.

"Argh!" Blue groaned as he writhed in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. He could hear the groans of Leona and Shannon, which meant that his schoolmates had taken the Electric-type attack as well. However, he also heard a distraught call from an unfamiliar voice: "Ralphie!"

_What?_ Blue thought, wondering what the Lanturn - he could tell from the voice that it belonged to a female Lanturn - wanted. Just when Blue feared that the electric attack would not stop until he and his schoolmates were knocked out, the electricity disappeared, leaving him feeling weak and considerably battered, but still conscious. He opened his eyes to see a Lanturn swimming away from the group of Lumineon, the dead Chinchou dangling gently from her jaws.

"Hey!" Blue called angrily at the Lanturn as Shannon and Leona righted themselves after reeling from the attack, Leona grabbing the scattered Oran Berries. "That's our food!"

"Food?!" the Lanturn snarled, releasing her grip on the Chinchou but keeping it close to her by tucking it under her fin. "Ralphie was my  _son_ , you disrespectful mono! I've gotta give him a proper burial!"

_Mono?_  Blue thought, confused. Leona glared at the Lanturn and frowned, though she held her tongue, probably because she did not want to drop the berries again. Shannon, however, exploded.

"A proper burial? You're kidding, right?" she growled. "For your information, we 'mono's are starving, and you're talking about taking the prey we  _rightfully_  caught and  _burying_  it? Also,  _we_  don't go around calling  _you guys_  names, so watch your language." She took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. "Please."

"Your 'prey' is my son, and you can't take him from me," the Lanturn said with a broken voice. Her yellow orbs crackled menacingly with electricity, and when she continued speaking, her voice was once again harsh. "Back off, you monos, or you'll taste my electric attacks. Which will hurt, considering that you're plain Water-types."

Shannon looked like she wanted to retort, but upon seeing Leona's cautioning look, she huffed.

"Alright, fine," she muttered. "Only next time, when you want your young back, please ask nicely."

"I'll keep that in mind," the Lanturn said dryly. With that, she held her dead son gently in her jaws again and swam away.

Leona sighed. She said nothing, partially because she was still holding the Oran Berries by their stems in her jaws, and partially, Blue guessed, because she couldn't think of anything to say. Leona turned tail and continued swimming towards the base camp cave. After a moment's hesitation, Shannon followed, and Blue tentatively swam after her. He was itching to know what all that was about - why was Shannon was so offended by the Lanturn's use of the word "mono"? He knew that "mono" meant "one", or something, but had no idea why Shannon reacted the way she did. Was it a slur of some sort against Lumineon? He made a mental note to ask Leona politely about it soon.

However, Blue could understand why Leona and Shannon left the Chinchou with its mother - they probably feared the Lanturn's electric attacks. Even though Blue felt that he himself could take on the Lanturn with his Hidden Power and Sweet Kiss, he didn't feel that he had the heart to rob the Lanturn mother of her son. With a jolt, Blue realized that the prey Pokemon Lumineon like himself ate for sustenance - even the Starmie - had consciousness, the power of communication, the love of battling, and probably family as well. He felt foolish for not realizing earlier that every Pokemon had the same basic traits.

_If I'm a wild Pokemon, I'll have to tear families apart if I am to survive,_  Blue thought to himself, freezing in his tracks.  _Well, maybe I don't have to - I can live off of just animals. But the school…_  He watched as Leona and Shannon reached the mouth of the base camp cave.  _They need to eat other Pokemon to survive. And I can't just leave them now, not after everything I've been through with them._

"Blue!" Leona called.

Blue looked up and noticed Leona and Shannon floating at the cave entrance, with two unfamiliar Finneon, one of whom was holding the Oran Berries, by their side.

"Blue, come into Base Camp!" Leona exclaimed. "We can heal up, and then I'll call a School Assembly introducing you."

"Coming!" Blue called, determined to do his part in the Southwest Sea School.

_To be continued…_

"To avoid detection by predators, it crawls along the seafloor using the two fins on its chest." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from  _Pokemon Pearl_


	4. Lanturn

"Let all fish in the Southwest Sea School gather in the main cavern for a School Assembly!"

Leona's voice rang out throughout the base camp cave. Blue floated next to the School Teacher and watched as Finneon and Lumineon began swimming into the main chamber. He recognized some of the fish, like Frankie and Light, who seemed to have made up because they were swimming together. Other Finneon and Lumineon were unfamiliar to him, but they all were small, skinny, and dull-colored, just like Light, Frankie, Leona, and Shannon. Fish flashed their patterns in greeting to each other as they settled down onto the sandy floor of the cavern and faced the School Teacher expectantly. The murmurs of the School gradually died down as the Lumineon and Finneon paid full attention on Leona as she began to speak.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the School's survival," Leona said, loudly and clearly. "As you all know, we have been struggling against the Lanturn and their electric attacks. However, I believe we have a solution to our Lanturn problem. Everyone, please warmly welcome the newest member of the Southwest Sea School, Blue."

Leona gestured at Blue, who dipped his head respectfully as a smatter of polite greetings rang through the cavern. Blue noticed that many of the Lumineon and Finneon didn't look very enthusiastic to meet him, and he wondered why.

"Teacher Leona?" an older male Finneon near the back of the crowd called, raising his front fin.

"Yes, Ripple?" Leona said, addressing who Blue assumed was the Berry Fish.

"I do not wish to question your decision as School Teacher," Ripple said, "but will Blue pull his own weight around here?" He glanced at Blue, and Blue was relieved to see that there was no hostility in the Finneon's eyes. "I understand that he can help feed us, but I don't understand how a new Schoolmate can solve the whole problem."

"You see, Ripple, Blue is a Trained Pokemon," Leona said, smiling. "He has with him some interesting moves that I believe will help us find more food while also dealing with our Lanturn competitors."

"Trained Pokemon?" a young male Finneon whom Blue didn't recognize piped up. "But Shannon was a Trained Pokemon, and  _she_  wasn't able to deal with the Lanturn."

_Shannon is Trained?_  Blue thought, surprised.  _I didn't know that. I wonder what kind of a Trainer she had._

"Cerulean, that rudeness was uncalled for," Leona admonished, interrupting Blue's thoughts. "Shannon's Defog and Surf attacks have been of great help in hunting."

"I may not have been able to deal with the Lanturn," Shannon said, "but you are right, Leona. My abilities  _have_  been useful." She was at the very front of the crowd because she had experienced Blue's moves firsthand. Turning to Blue, she continued, "I can, however, attest to the fact that Blue's moves are different from mine, and therefore will be useful to us."

"Shannon is correct," Leona said, nodding. "From his time as a Trained Pokemon, Blue has learned a few useful moves. Isn't that right, Blue?"

"Yeah," Blue said. "I know how to use Sweet Kiss, a move that confuses the opponent. I have also learned Hidden Power."

This caused a bit of a stir among the school. "Isn't that the move that's always different, depending on which Pokemon uses it?" a voice rose above the rest.

"That is correct," Blue said, addressing the Finneon who had spoken. "My Hidden Power, which I learned from my trainer, is Grass-type." He let the ensuing murmurs die down before continuing, "Since the Lanturn and our prey are all weak to Grass-type attacks, I think I can help you guys hunt and deal with the Lanturn. The confusion caused by Sweet Kiss will be useful against the Lanturn, too."

"Exactly," Leona said, her voice full of hope. "This is it, everyone. Our struggles will finally be over."

Cheerful murmurs spread among the school. A few moments later, a Finneon raised his front fin, wriggling around excitedly. Blue recognized the Finneon as Frankie.

"Frankie?" Leona called.

"Can I hunt with Blue?" the young Finneon asked excitedly. "Please?"

"Sure, you can join the midnight hunting party," Leon said. She glanced at Blue. "Blue, are you okay with going on a hunting trip with Frankie in a few hours? You can get some rest first."

"Of course," Blue said, nodding. He smiled at Frankie. "I'll show you what I can do, if you want."

"Yippee!" Frankie exclaimed, doing a loop-de-loop in the water.

"Excuse me, Blue and Leona," Shannon chipped in.

"Yes, Shannon?" Leona asked.

"I'd like to go hunting at midnight with Blue and Frankie, if possible," Shannon said. "I think my moves - Defog, Surf, Whirlpool, and Waterfall - can be of help. Defog makes it easier for us to hit our targets with our attacks, and I think Blue can benefit from that. Whirlpool is great for hunting because it traps our prey. Surf can be used to hit many targets at a time, and Waterfall can cause our opponents to flinch." She smiled at Blue. "I just felt like I should explain why I'd make a good hunting partner. Besides, Blue, I want to show you Starmie Trench."

"Good idea, Shannon," Leona said warmly. "Blue, Frankie, are you okay with Shannon joining your hunting party? Blue, I think Shannon is right in that she will be a good hunting partner for you."

"I'm fine with Shannon hunting with us," Blue said, smiling.

"Me too," Frankie said.

"Alright, get some rest before midnight then, Blue," Leona said. She then looked up to address the entire school. "This School Assembly is now adjourned," she called.

The crowd of fish began to scatter at Leona's declaration. Ripple and Cerulean, the two Finneon who had questioned Blue's usefulness, approached Blue while Leona swam away to another part of the base camp caved Shannon stayed where she was.

"Hey, Blue, I'm sorry for calling you out in the middle of the Assembly," Cerulean, the younger Finneon, said, dipping his his head.

"So am I," Ripple, the older Finneon, said. "I'm an expert when it comes to berries, but not battling, so I wasn't sure about you at first. But now I'd like to welcome you to the School."

"No problem, guys," Blue assured the Finneon. The two Finneon nodded in thanks and departed.

Blue turned to Shannon, who looked like she was waiting to talk to Blue. "I'm looking forward to hunting with you," he said respectfully. "I didn't know you were Trained. It's interesting to meet another Trained Pokemon in the wild."

"How are you liking the wild Pokemon life?" Shannon asked.

"It's tough, but exciting," Blue said. "There's so much adventure and excitement in store for me. It's only been a few days and I've already been through so much."

"You're lucky that you know where you want to be," Shannon sighed. "Being a wild Pokemon has too much danger for my liking. Just a short while ago I lost my mate, Landon. He was the one who was eaten by a Tentacruel."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Blue said, dipping his head. "Uh, it's totally understandable if you want to find a Trainer and leave your life as a wild Pokemon. I'm sure Leona will understand."

"She does, but I'm not sure if I even want to find a Trainer," Shannon explained. "I was hatched in the Southwest Sea, and grew up here as well, but I soon found a Trainer. I loved Martha, and I had a lot of fun traveling with her, but she released me one day with no explanation. I think it had something to do with the fact that she wanted to go to Alola." Shannon swished her tail in annoyance. "If she really cared about me she would have at least explained why she didn't want me anymore."

"I agree," Blue said, feeling a stab of sympathy for the female Lumineon. "I assure you, though, not all Trainers are like Martha. Maybe next time you find a Trainer, you can observe them for a while and make sure they're the type to treat you well."

"Yeah, maybe," Shannon said. "Later, though. For now, I'm staying with the school. I think they can benefit from you and I hunting together. Besides, my daughter, Light, wants to stay in the School, and I want to do my duty as a mother and make sure she grows up safely."

"That's understandable," Blue said, admiring Shannon's dedication. "I'm sure you'll do your best to help the School, with those cool moves of yours."

Shannon chuckled. "It's not like what I can do is anything flashy, though," she said modestly. "My Trainer wasn't really thinking about battling strategies when she taught me those HMs."

"HMs?" Blue asked, confused about the unfamiliar term.

"Those are special moves that Pokemon can use to help humans travel," Shannon explained. "The four moves my former Trainer taught me - Surf, Whirlpool, Waterfall, and Defog - are all useful to Trainers because they help them navigate through different kinds of terrain. My former Trainer, Martha, used me as her navigator. Since I knew how to use four HM moves, I was the one who helped Martha travel through Sinnoh."

"That sounds like fun," Blue said. "What do those HMs do?"

"Surf carries humans over water," Shannon said. "Basically, if a human is riding a Pokemon who knows Surf, that human can travel over water."

"Nice," Blue said, excited to learn about the HMs. "What about the other three?"

"Whirlpool allows a human to cross whirlpools in the water, Waterfall allows a human to climb waterfalls, and Defog clears away heavy fog so that it's easier to see."

"Doesn't Defog also help you land moves more easily?"

"Yeah, that's the move's effect in a battle, but outside of battle it clears away fog."

"Interesting, very interesting," Blue said. "My former Trainer, Luna, wasn't much of a traveler. That's why I don't know anything about HMs."

"The more experiences you have, the more you know," Shannon chuckled. "I was hatched here in the Southwest Sea, and I didn't know anything about HMs until I met Martha. I'm glad I got to meet her, because now I know how to use moves that other Lumineon don't know how to use."

"They sound like fun," Blue said excitedly. "I can't wait to hunt with you so that I can see them in action."

"That's awesome," Shannon said, smiling. She glanced at the mouth of the cave. "It's getting late. We should get some rest before our midnight hunting trip."

Blue nodded. "You go ahead," he said. "I'll talk to Leona real quick about something, and then I'll check in for the night."

"Alright, see you soon," Shannon said, dipping her head before turning and swimming to another part of the cave.

Blue began searching the base camp cave for Leona, and soon found her talking to several very young Finneon. He called out her her. Upon hearing Blue's voice, Leona bid farewell to the hatchlings' mother and swam over to Blue.

"How may I help you?" Leona asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you real quick," Blue said. "Remember that Lanturn we ran into earlier today, when I was showing you how I hunted?" Blue had been wondering about this for a while now. "You know how she called us 'disrespectful monos'? What was that about?"

"'Mono' is an offensive name that the Lanturn call us Finneon and Lumineon," Leona explained, her voice bitter. "They believe that they are superior because they are part Electric-type, while we are 'mono' Water-types - hence the term."

"I see," Blue said, nodding. "They shouldn't call us names. We aren't mean to  _them_ , so the Lanturn should really stop stealing our food and making our lives hard."

"We've tried everything to stop them, but to no avail," Leona sighed. "The problem is, so far the Lanturn have been able to get away with what they've been doing because they are stronger than us." Leona smiled. "But not for long. I'm sure that you are the one who will put the Lanturn in their place, Blue."

"I hope," Blue said, chuckling. "Thanks for being super patient while you teach me everything about life as a wild Pokemon, Leona. Sorry about not knowing anything."

"Don't be," Leona said, swishing her tail. "Get some rest, Blue. You need some for the hunting trip tonight."

"Alright," Blue yawned. He began swimming away. "Good night, Leona."

"Good night, Blue."

Blue sighed contentedly to himself as he found a nook in the cave and settled down onto the sandy floor. He began drifting off, looking forward to hunting with Shannon.

_To be continued..._

"It crawls along the seafloor using its long front fins like legs. It competes for food with LANTURN." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from  _Pokemon Platinum_


	5. Starmie

"Blue! Blue! Wake up!"

Blue stirred at the sound of Frankie's voice. Yawning and stirring, he opened his eyes to see Frankie and Shannon shining their patterns in the darkness.

"Hey Frankie. Hey Shannon," Blue greeted groggily. He rose. "Is it midnight?"

"Yeah, let's go hunting," Shannon said excitedly. "Follow me, Blue. I want to show you the best place to find Starmie."

Blue nodded and followed Shannon and Frankie as they swam quietly out of the base camp cave. Most of the school was asleep, and the hunting party was careful not to wake them. The ocean was dark, so the three fish shone their patterns to improve their vision.

"We're going to want to crawl," Shannon said as soon as she, Blue, and Frankie were a good ways out of the cave. "You probably know a lot about this already, but crawling is a great way to keep up hidden from predators and prey."

"Why don't we turn off our lights, Shannon?" Frankie asked. "That way we'll be even more hidden from predators."

"Is this your first night-hunting trip, Frankie?" Shannon asked.

Frankie nodded.

"Ah, I see. You see, Frankie, our lights attract prey as well as predators. If we turned our lights off, it's less likely for predators to spot us, but it's also less likely for us to find prey. That's why we always keep our lights on while hunting. Besides, it's nighttime, and without our lights it'll be hard to see."

Blue listened with interest as Shannon explained her reasoning for crawling with lights on.  _It makes sense,_ Blue thought, as Frankie nodded.  _Our lights may attract predators, but without our lights it'd be really hard to find prey._

Soon, the three fish were on their way to Starmie Trench, shining their lights and crawling along the seabed in search of their favorite food. Blue followed Shannon and Frankie, his front fins brushing against the sand as he crawled. After several uneventful moments of crawling, Shannon stopped in her tracks, causing Frankie and Blue to follow suit.

"Look at that," Shannon said quietly, pointing with her fin towards a trench rising from the ocean floor. A large group of Starmie was plastered to the walls of the trench, while a gigantic Starmie crawled lazily about in the front of the trench.

"Wow, that Starmie is huge," Frankie murmured. "It's coming towards us - it's attracted by our lights, right?"

"Right," Shannon said.

"How do we go about hunting these guys?" Blue asked.

"You wanna try for the one big Starmie or the many smaller ones?" Shannon whispered.

"Why not both?" Blue asked, smiling. "I'm sure my moves can knock all of them out."

"Blu-ue," Shannon sighed, pushing Blue downward with her fin. "We need a plan. If you just charge in there, the other Starmie will either attack or scatter. Either way, that's not ideal."

"Sorry," Blue muttered, embarrassed by his recklessness. "So, Shannon, how do you normally handle situations like this?"

"Hm," Shannon murmured, glancing at the large Starmie. She turned to face Blue and Frankie, and spoke quickly and quietly. "Here's the plan. I use Defog on the big Starmie to lower its evasiveness, and then trap it in my Whirlpool so that it can't escape. After that happens, Frankie, you're responsible for killing it while Blue and I deal with the smaller Starmie. I'll use Defog, Waterfall, and Surf on those ones while Blue attacks them with Sweet Kiss and Hidden Power. Remember, we only kill as many Starmie as we can carry."

"Why can't we bury the extra Starmie and come back from them later?" Blue asked. "Other than that, that's a great plan."

"The Lanturn will probably get to the Starmie before we can," Shannon explained.

"But I can just attack the Lanturn if they try to take our food," Blue pointed out.

"Hey, good point," Shannon said. She rose up to face the gigantic Starmie, which had crawled up to the fish, attracted by their light. "Alright, go!"

Blue burst into action, swimming sneakily towards the smaller Starmie as Shannon's fin patterns glowed with a strange white color, making the surrounding water look clearer. Still keeping an eye on the group of smaller Starmie, Blue watched in amazement as Shannon beat her fins vigorously, conjuring up a bubbling vortex that trapped the exposed large Starmie in its swirling midst.

"Alright, Frankie and Blue, attack!" Shannon called as she dove forward, her fins shining with a white light as she unleashed her Defog on the group of Starmie, which began to stir in response to the brighter, clearer waters. Blue wasted no time in attacking the Starmie, firing off Hidden Power attacks to damage his prey and unleashing Sweet Kisses to confuse them. Shannon, meanwhile, attacked the Starmie with a move where she rode a powerful torrent of water and butted into her target - Blue assumed that the attack was called Waterfall. Now that the Starmie were weakened, Blue and Shannon wasted no time in killing them by biting on their cores. Most of the Starmie scattered, but four lay dead on the seafloor, and that, Blue knew, would be plenty of food for the school.

"Yes!" Blue and Shannon exclaimed, clapping their fins with each other. Blue was about to compliment Shannon for her skills when he heard Frankie cry out in pain.

"Frankie!" Blue called, panicking and abandoning the Starmie he had just killed. His heart lurched as he spotted a Lanturn attacking his schoolmate with a Discharge. Thinking quickly, he fired a large orb of Grass-type Hidden Power at the attacker. The orb exploded against the Lanturn just as Shannon hurried over to the scene. The Lanturn dropped the dead Starmie she was carrying as Blue swam quickly over to Frankie's side and Shannon grabbed the large Starmie.

"Frankie, are you alright?" Blue asked, wrapping his fins around the young Finneon.

"Y-yeah, just shaken up a bit," Frankie said. He glared at the Lanturn who had attacked him. "That's not fair! I killed the Starmie, so it's mine!"

"Technically, no, because I was planning on killing you as well and making a really nice meal out of you  _and_  the Starmie," the Lanturn said casually. She eyed Blue, who was sure that the Lanturn's gaze contained a bit of fear. "That is, until you interfered with that attack. I don't know what it is, but it's no match against my electricity, you-"

Shannon didn't give the Lanturn a chance to finish. Her patterns glowed white as she unleashed a Defog attack, causing the Lanturn to drop her sentence and sneer at the small Lumineon.

"Oh, what's  _that_  gonna do against me? Like I said, no match-"

Blue didn't waste any time. His Sweet Kiss attack hit the Lanturn squarely on the head. She shook her head in confusion and dropped her sentence, her eyes turning into swirls as she wobbled around.

"Grab our prey and get out of here!" Shannon called. Blue was happy to oblige. He grabbed two smaller Starmie while Frankie grabbed to small Starmie as well and Shannon handled the big one. The three fish swam as fast as their fins could carry them, gripping their prey tightly in their mouths as they went. By the time they reached Base Camp Cave, they were exhausted.

Most of the fish in the cave were asleep when the hunting party arrived, so they just deposited their prey in what Shannon introduced to Blue as the fresh-kill pile. Then, Blue, Shannon, and Frankie settled down.

"Frankie, I'm so sorry," Shannon said sincerely to the young Finneon, dipping her head. "I was so excited to hunt that I forgot about the threat of the Lanturn to young Finneon like you."

"It's okay, Shannon," Frankie said brightly. "I probably could have gotten rid of that prey-stealer on my own anyways."

"Don't be ridiculous," Shannon chided gently. "The Lanturn are so much stronger than you. Be grateful that Blue was there to save you with his Hidden Power."

"You're right," Frankie conceded, and then dipped his head at Blue. "Thank you so much. You're a really great help."

"That's true, Blue," Shannon gushed. "The way you dealt with that Lanturn was amazing! I think you really are just what the school needs."

"I'm happy to help," Blue said, smiling.

oOoOo

For many moons, things were peaceful in the Southwest Sea School of Finneon and Lumineon. The school, having enough to eat thanks to Blue's help, no longer starved. The fish in the school grew and flourished, the bright blue color returning to their strong, sturdy bodies.

Blue's duties never ceased. Some days he went hunting with different parties of fish, and other days he had defense patrol, keeping the school safe from predators. Blue enjoyed his new life immensely. Things were often getting thrown at him, but he enjoyed the excitement, freedom, and sense of belonging that the Southwest Sea School offered him.

Things changed in the school during those peaceful, prosperous moons. Several Finneon, including Light, evolved, though Ripple, the Berry Fish and oldest Finneon in the school, always preferred to stay as a Finneon and not evolve. The school welcomed to the world a few hatchling Finneon. Two Finneon and one Lumineon, Frankie included, left the school and found Trainers. Blue often missed Frankie. The Finneon had been one of Blue's closest friends, but Blue was sure that the Trainer Frankie had found was a good one.

Blue knew that these good times would not last forever, and they didn't. One day, Light and Cerulean returned from a hunting trip with their jaws empty. The two Lumineon looked badly hurt. Teacher Leona and Blue, who were having a conversation, swam up to them.

"What happened?" Leona asked, her eyes widening at the state Light and Cerulean were in.

"There were  _three_!" Light exclaimed, enraged. "Three Lanturn! We couldn't fight against  _them_."

"That's why we have no food with us," Cerulean grumbled. "This doesn't make sense. The Lanturn  _never_  travel in groups."

"This is just as I feared," Leona murmured. "The Lanturn have figured out a way to counter our strategy of having Blue help us hunt. They have simply started to travel in groups as well, multiplying their power in the process."

"What are we going to do now?" Light fretted.

"Uh, I can go on more hunting trips from now on," Blue offered. "Maybe I can deal with a small group of Lanturn."

"You think your Hidden Power and Sweet Kiss attacks can deal with the Lanturn groups?" Leona asked.

"Maybe with Shannon's help," Blue said modestly. "She has attacks that can hit multiple Pokemon at a time. Maybe we can work together to put the Lanturn in their place."

"It's worth a shot," Leona said, nodding. "Alright, I'll speak to Shannon now."

"You're not going to call a School Assembly?" Blue asked.

Leona shook her head. "Only if the Lanturn groups prove to be too powerful for even you and Shannon," she said. "Then we're in trouble."

 _So we HAVE to defeat these Lanturn groups,_  Blue thought as Leona went to find Shannon.  _Looks like our time of peace is over._

_To be continued..._

"This deep-sea Pokémon lives at the bottom of the sea. Its fins haul it over the seabed in search of its favorite food - Starmie." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from  _Pokemon Moon_


	6. Depths

"I wonder how the Lanturn decided to travel in groups," Blue murmured as he, Shannon, Light, and Cerulean crawled along the ocean floor in search of prey. "Last time I checked, each Lanturn kind of just did their own thing."

"It doesn't matter," Cerulean said gruffly. "What matters is that we figure out a way to deal with the fact that the Lanturn are a lot more threatening to us now than they ever were before."

Now that their injuries were healed with help from the School's stash of Berries, Cerulean and Light, who had been the first ones to witness the Lanturns' newfound power, had agreed to go on a hunting party with Blue and Shannon and was now accompanying them. Several Finneon had wanted to go hunting along with the group, but Teacher Leona had stated that it was best that only Lumineon went on this particular hunting trip. So now four Lumineon from the Southwest Sea School were crawling along the seafloor, their lights shining as they hunted for prey.

"Here's a good spot," Light said as the group approached a coral-filled dip in the ocean floor. "We can form a triangle trap around the edges of the gully. Shannon and Blue at the first corner, me at the second corner, and Cerulean at the third corner. We'll all shine our lights, but Blue, since you're the strongest, your lights should be the brightest. Shannon can provide backup for you if necessary. Me and Cerulean will get ready to pounce in case our prey tries fleeing from you and Shannon."

"That's a good plan," Blue said, recalling the triangle trap strategy from a hunting session from about a moon ago.

"You've really become quite the tactician," Cerulean commented, dipping his head towards Light in respect. Light was now a Lumineon and had matured considerably over the moons.

"Thanks, guys," Light said, floating upwards off of the seafloor. "Let's go."

The four Lumineon took their positions around the dip, Shannon following Blue as Light and Cerulean swam to their respective corners. Blue and Shannon buried themselves in the sand, their eyes and their brightly illuminated fins sticking above the floor as they waited for prey Pokemon to show themselves.

Sure enough, after a few moments of waiting two Magikarp emerged from behind a rock. They were arguing about something, but they were too far away for Blue to hear what they were saying. Blue noticed, however, that the two medium-sized fish Pokemon were approaching him and Shannon's lights.

"No, really, I suffer from short-term memory loss," the female Magikarp was saying, drifting towards Blue and Shannon along with her male counterpart.

"Short-term memory loss? What's that?" the male Magikarp exclaimed angrily. "If this is a joke, it's not funny. And I'm not funny."

Blue barely had time to notice the yellow orb that suddenly poked above the sand when there was a blinding flash of light. Blue squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them three Lanturn were surrounding the two Magikarp. He wasn't sure where they came from, but he had a hunch that they had buried themselves in the sand at the bottom of the dip. One Lanturn was attacking the Magikarp with a Discharge, and the other two were getting ready to land the killing bites on the orange fish Pokemon.

"Hey!" Blue exclaimed indignantly. "They were swimming towards  _us_ , not you!"

"Well, they're our prey now," the male Lanturn who had unleashed the Discharge said as the other two Lanturn killed the Magikarp. "You should probably back off before we defend our prey."

"We're hungrier than you are," Shannon protested quietly. "You should let us have at least one."

"There you go again, assuming that you guys deserve prey more than we do," the Lanturn said angrily as his two friends joined him, each carrying a Magikarp body. "I don't mean to be rude, but we're hungry too, and prey belongs to the stronger species."

"Look, you Lanturn can't keep this up or we Lumineon will go right back to starving," Blue said steadily, eyeing the three Lanturn as Light and Cerulean, upon hearing the commotion, swam towards Blue and Shannon.

"Then just find another food source," the Lanturn responded. "There doesn't seem to be enough prey in this stretch of the Southwest Sea for all of us, so you Finneon and Lumineon should leave if you don't want to compete against us Chinchou and Lanturn for food."

"So you're saying that just because you guys are stronger we should starve to death?" Cerulean asked bitterly.

The Lanturn's gaze softened. "Nobody should starve to death," he said, throwing a warning glare at his friends, who seemed to want to say something. "I'm just saying that since there's a limited supply of food here, only the strongest would be able to have it. That's the hard truth of it all." He sighed. "Sorry if I sound harsh, guys. But it isn't fair for  _us_  to go hungry just because you guys can't get by. Which makes no sense because we haven't been doing anything different."

"You started hunting in groups once you found out that I could take you on if you went out alone," Blue pointed out.

The Lanturn's eyes widened, and so did his friends'. "Oh, so you're the one with the cool moves!" he exclaimed. "They're quite something."

"Yeah, and I can probably take you guys on," Blue growled, annoyed at the way the Lanturn were behaving. He realized his mistake and quickly added, "Me and Shannon."

"How about a battle, then?" the Lanturn asked. He glanced at his companions and said, "Me - I'm Joe, by the way - and Alex against you and Shannon. Winner gets the two Magikarp. Jolt can hold them."

Blue opened his mouth to agree, but Light swam forward and shoved Blue gently aside. "That would be a waste of time and energy for us," she said curtly. "It may be a short-term solution, but once the battle is over will you Lanturn cut down on taking all the food?"

"I can't promise that, unfortunately," Joe said, shifting uncomfortably. "I can't exactly get  _every_  Lanturn to give you guys slack, you know what I mean? To be honest, most of them wouldn't care about what's happening to you at all because that means less competition for us. Besides, like I said, we need the food just as much as you guys do. There are more of us than ever."

Blue sighed. He looked around. Shannon, Cerulean, and Light had defeated looks, and while the Lanturn didn't look skinny or dull to him, he noticed that none of them looked particularly cocky. Could it be that the Lanturn were less well-off than he thought they were?

"How about this," he said slowly, mostly thinking out loud. "Battling for the Magikarp may be a temporary solution, but we all want prey and a bit of extra prey is always good. How about we follow Joe's idea and battle? Didn't Teacher Leona want to find out if we could take on a Lanturn group? There's no way we can know the answer if we don't battle."

Shannon looked like she was about to protest, but she nodded slowly as she considered what Blue had to say.

"Fair enough," she said. She glanced at Cerulean and Light. "Since it will be me and Blue against Joe and Alex, you two should stay back and carry us home if you have to. Hopefully it won't come to it, but we should be prepared in case of a worst-case scenario."

"That's a good plan," Light said, nodding. "Teacher Leona  _did_  want to find out if we could take on the Lanturn, and this is a pretty safe way to do so."

"Good luck," Cerulean said as he and Light backed away.

Blue and Shannon swam to one side of the dip, while Joe and Alex swam to the other side. Jolt, the third Lanturn, clutched the two dead Magikarp in his jaws and moved out of the dip, while Light and Cerulean followed.

Once everyone was settled, Light exclaimed, "Ready, begin!"

Blue nodded at Shannon. The two of them had been on countless hunting trips before, and they both knew what to do. Shannon's fins glowed white as she unleashed her Defog, making the surrounding waters look clearer. Once that was taken care of, Blue fired off a Sweet Kiss attack, which struck Joe squarely on the head.

"Joe, you okay?" Alex asked in concern as Joe wobbled around, his eyes confused swirls. When Joe collided clumsily into Alex, Alex nodded and unleashed a Discharge attack.

"Shannon, quick, dodge!" Blue exclaimed, but they weren't fast enough. The wave of electricity struck both Blue and Shannon, and they groaned in pain.

"Don't give up!" Light called from the sidelines.

"I'm fine," Shannon huffed as she righted herself. "Surf!"

A huge wave appeared, and Shannon rode it as it barreled into Joe and Alex, who were sent tumbling in its wake. As soon as Shannon's attack connected, Blue wasted no time in firing off a large orb of Grass-type Hidden Power at Alex. Alex the Lanturn reeled at the attack but righted himself quickly and unleashed another Discharge.

This time, Blue and Shannon were ready, and darted out of the way of the electric attack. Shannon barreled into Joe with a Waterfall attack, and Blue fired several small orbs of Hidden Power at Alex. Alex looked dazed from the barrage, but turned around and faced Blue. He attacked Blue and Shannon with a third Discharge attack, and this one hit the two Lumineon squarely.

"Argh!" Blue yelled in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. He rapidly lost consciousness, and the world went black as he felt himself sink towards the ocean floor.

_They're too strong,_  Blue thought despairingly as he fainted.

oOo

"Blue?" a voice said softly.

Blue wearily opened his eyes, consciousness and energy slowly returning to him. He was lying in the medicine den in the Base Camp Cave. Leona was watching over him with a concerned expression.

Then he remembered what just happened, and what it meant for the Southwest Sea School.

He was supposed to be their savior. And he had failed them.

He righted himself and faced Leona, a dull pain in his chest that didn't come from the Lanturns' Discharge attack.

"Leona, I'm sorry," Blue murmured, bowing his head. "I couldn't do it."

_To be continued…_

"Lumineon, the Neon Pokémon. Lumineon lives in the ocean's depths. It lures Pokémon by flashing light in the patterns on its tail fins." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from the Pokemon anime


	7. Stars

Leona was silent. Blue slowly glanced upwards, expecting a look of disappointment and disapproval on the old School Teacher's face, but instead found an expression of resigned understanding.

"We tried our best, Teacher Leona," Blue said sadly. "Shannon and I - we used our attacks the best way we could. But the two Lanturn we fought - their Discharge attacks were too strong. They knocked us out in two hits." He looked around the medicine den and spotted Shannon sleeping in the far corner. "Shannon will be okay, right?"

Leona nodded. "She just needs a bit of rest," she said. She sighed. "But this is bad, Blue. It looks like the Lanturn are simply too strong for us. And I doubt their power will decrease to manageable levels anytime soon, considering that the ocean is getting warmer and warmer."

Blue blinked. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, confused about the relationship between the warming ocean and the power of the Lanturn.

"I have been alive for many years, and in my youth the Southwest Sea School was thriving - a lot happier and more well-fed than we are right now," Leona explained. "We have always protected our young from the Lanturn's appetites, and we competed for food with the Lanturn as well. But as I grew older, the ocean got warmer and warmer - and it seems that the Chinchou and Lanturn thrive in warmer waters."

"Really?" Blue asked, a feeling of hopelessness spreading throughout his body.

Leona nodded. "Yes. When I was a young Finneon, our School had an advantage in numbers over the Chinchou and Lanturn. We may have been weak to their Electric-type attacks, but we were able to hold our own against them because there were simply more of us, and we hunted in groups while the Lanturn hunted individually."

"Go on," Blue said respectfully.

"But as the water became warmer, our enemies increased in number," Leona continued. "Their electric attacks increased in power, as well. Thanks to your arrival and the way you paired up with Shannon, we had a brief reprieve from our struggles, but then, well..." She took a deep breath. "You fought bravely, Blue. I commend you for that. However, I believe we can draw the conclusion that the Chinchou and Lanturn have generally gotten stronger thanks to the higher temperatures, and unless we come up with a new plan, we will go right back to struggling against the Lanturn for food."

_I know,_  Blue thought sadly. He didn't have any idea of a new plan yet, but now that he knew about the correlation between the warmer temperatures and the Lanturns' power, he wanted to find out more.

"Uh, do you know what's been causing the ocean to get warmer?" Blue asked. "Is there a Fire-type at the shore who is responsible, or some other Pokemon?"

"We have done plenty of investigations into the causes of the warming ocean," Leona said, "but every time we were unable to find a clear cause. We searched our whole territory for Pokemon or human influence, but it seems as if absolutely nothing has changed in our environment."

_Then there's really nothing we can do,_  Blue thought. But he figured he should tell Leona what he knew anyways.

"Uh, Leona?" Blue said after a short pause.

"Yes, Blue?" Leona said.

"I, uh, heard about something when I was a Trained Pokemon," Blue explained. "There's this thing that's happening to the world called, uh, global warming. I saw it on the TV my former trainer, Luna, liked to watch."

"What's a TV?" Leona asked. "A human device?"

"Yeah, humans watch it to learn stuff, I guess," Blue said, his tail twitching uncomfortably. "Anyways, the TV talked about how humans were pumping too many gases into the air, which was causing the world to heat up more quickly than it should. Luna told me that what the TV said was true, and Luna never lied to me." He tilted his body in confusion. "I know, Teacher Leona, I don't have any proof of this, but considering that you never found any clear cause of the ocean warming I think that's the only thing that could be happening to cause the ocean to be warmer and the Lanturn to be stronger."

Leona was silent for a while as she pondered everything Blue told her. Then she sighed and nodded.

"I believe you are right," she said, sighing. "But if that is true, then there is nothing we can do to stop the ocean from warming. We cannot communicate with the humans to get them to do something as large-scale as stop pumping so many gases into the air."

"Which means that the Lanturn will just continue to get stronger as the ocean warms," Blue said. "And even if the humans stopped pumping their gases into the air, it'll take a while for the ocean to cool down to the temperature it had when you were young. We need a more immediate solution to our starvation problem than that. So what would our solution be?"

"I do not know, Blue," Leona sighed. "Before you arrived, we tried everything. We tried negotiating with the Lanturn to split the food sources evenly with us, but the Lanturn maintained that they never ate more than they needed. They insisted that they were doing what they had always been doing, and that therefore we should be able to compete with them as always. We tried fighting against the Lanturn, but that just left us exhausted and prevented us from searching for food. We even tried expanding our diet to include Pokemon bigger than us. You can guess how taking on Tentacruel went down." She shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm so sorry, Leona," Blue said, hopelessness engulfing him. "I was supposed to be the School's savior. Some savior I am."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Blue," Leona said gently, touching Blue's back gently with her fin. "You really did your best, and you were a great help. It's just that, thanks to the humans, our enemies have gotten stronger. Which isn't something that you can control."

"What  _can_  I control, then?" Blue asked. "I can control the moves I know, but we both know that my moves won't solve the problem anymore."

"You can control your own thoughts and actions," Leona pointed out. "So keep thinking. Don't give up. I'll brainstorm with you, if that helps."

"Maybe you can call a School Assembly?" Blue asked. "That way we can get the ideas of the whole School."

"That's a great idea," Leona said warmly. "You see, Blue? You've got plenty of wonderful thoughts."

oOo

The School Assembly took place in the early evening, after Shannon recovered. The fish of the Southwest Sea School didn't take too much time to settle down. Many already knew what was going on and were anxious to hear Leona address the issue. Blue settled down in the front of the crowd with Shannon by his side.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the School's survival for the first time in moons," Leona called. "As many of you know already, the Lanturn have increased in number and started hunting in groups, making their electric attacks too strong for any of us to handle. If this continues, we will go right back to how we were before Blue arrived. We need to brainstorm a solution so that we will not go hungry. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Isn't Blue taking on the Lanturn with his attacks?" a young Finneon piped up.

"Yes," Leona said, "but the Lanturn are becoming too strong for even him. I assure all of you that Blue has been trying his very best. But the Southwest Sea has been getting warmer and warmer over the years with no signs of cooling, and Chinchou and Lanturn become healthier and stronger in warmer waters. As you all think about solutions, keep that in mind."

"Yeah, what's that about?" an older Finneon asked. "Can we do anything about the warming waters, so that the power of our rivals will become a more manageable level?"

"Unfortunately, Terry, no," Leona said. She then explained what Blue had told her about global warming. "Remember," Leona finished, "we could never find any clear cause of what was causing the water temperatures to rise, so this global warming Blue learned about from his time as a Trained Pokemon is probably what is causing the ocean to get warmer. Since the humans are the ones responsible for global warming, there isn't anything we can do about the rising ocean temperatures. So we'll have to find another solution." She scanned the cave and saw that Shannon was raising her fin. "Yes, Shannon?"

"Blue and I fought against a Lanturn named Joe, who said that the Lanturn weren't taking more food than they needed," Shannon said. "Do you think he's right? Because if he is, that just means that there simply isn't enough food Pokemon in the Southwest Sea for all the Finneon, Lumineon, Chinchou, and Lanturn living here. And if that's the case, one group of predator Pokemon is going to have to leave and find a new territory." Shannon sighed. "Since the Lanturn are stronger thanks to the warmer temperatures, looks like it's going to be us."

"Shannon, that's it!" Blue exclaimed, springing off the ground.

"What do you mean?" Shannon asked.

"I know how we're going to survive now," Blue said excitedly. "We'll just move to another territory!"

Murmurs erupted among the fish in the Southwest Sea School. Cerulean, who was next to Blue, turned to face Blue. His face bore an uncertain expression.

"Blue, are you sure?" Cerulean asked. "We've lived in the Southwest Sea for our whole lives. We can't just  _leave_. We'd be surrendering to the Lanturn that way."

An older female Finneon named Bubbles, who was floating next to Cerulean, rolled her eyes. "Of course we're going to surrender to the Lanturn, Cerulean," she said. "There's no way we can fight against them. They're just too strong for us. That's been established already."

"But this is my home!" a third nearby Finneon exclaimed sadly. "I don't want to leave!"

"Excuse me, everyone!" Leona called over the ruckus. "Quiet, please."

The School quickly quieted down, and Leona continued, "Blue actually has a very good point. I'm amazed that we hadn't thought of it earlier." A few murmurs sounded, and Leona addressed them. "I understand your concerns about it. Moving to a new territory will be challenging for all of you. You will need to look out for each other during the process. However, I believe that it is your best option."

"W-w-wait a second," Blue stammered, looking Leona squarely in the eye. He was surprised to find a look of sadness and resignation in her gaze.

"Teacher Leona," Blue said, "why did you say 'you'? Are you saying that if we move to a new territory… you're not coming with us?"

"I'm afraid not," Leona said, in a voice that could barely be heard over the ensuing commotion. Leona looked up, called for order, and continued, "I am a very old fish, much older than many of you think. I am afraid that I may not be around for much longer, and I would like to spend the rest of my days in the place where I was born and lived throughout my life."

"Then I'm staying with you," Ripple, the Berry Fish, said. "You have been a wonderful School Teacher and I want to ensure that you spend the rest of your days in peace."

"I'm staying too!" an old male Lumineon named Indigo exclaimed. "I'm not risking the rest of my short life journeying through the unknown."

Blue listened in dismay as several fish expressed their wish to stay, and others stated that they wanted to find Trainers. He himself was having doubts as well. Teacher Leona had introduced him to his home with the School and saved his life once, even. She was such a big part of his life that he couldn't imagine how much things would be different without her. How was he going to just abandon her and leave for an unknown place?

"Quiet, please!" Leona called over the voices. When the fish piped down, she said, "Indigo, Rain, you two may stay here in the Southwest Sea. I understand your fears that you are too old to make the journey, and I would definitely appreciate some company. Those of you who wish to find Trainers, I will not discourage you. However, the rest of you - I urge you to make the journey, for the sake of the School's survival. Please - it is my final wish."

Blue nodded respectfully. He knew for sure that he was going to honor Teacher Leona's wish and carry out his idea. Glancing around him, his heart warmed when he noticed that every other fish in the School was nodding as well.

"Wait," Cerulean said. "Teacher Leona, I understand that most of the School needs to move to a new territory. But if you are not going with us, you will need to appoint a new School Teacher."

"That is correct," Leona said, smiling. "And I will."

She swam towards the uppermost reaches of the cave and looked down at the fish gathered below. When she spoke, she spoke loudly and clearly, with no hesitation.

"Southwest Sea School of Finneon and Lumineon, I, Teacher Leona, hereby step down as School Teacher. Your new School Teacher is Blue."

Blue's heart skipped a beat at Leona's words, and his mouth hung open slightly.

_Me?_  he thought, surprised.  _Me, School Teacher?_

He was expecting protests, but was amazed at the way his Schoolmates were bowing at him respectfully. So Blue held his head up and smiled at Leona, warmth flooding through him.

"Come here, Blue," Leona said, her voice full of warmth and pride.

Blue slowly swam up to the elderly female Lumineon, his eyes shining with happiness.

"Blue," Leona said clearly, "Do you solemnly swear to be the best leader you can be to the Southwest Sea School of Finneon and Lumineon, and do your very best to protect the School?"

"I do," Blue said. And he meant it. "Leona, I won't let you down."

"I know that you'll do great as School Teacher, Teacher Blue," Leona said confidently, touching Blue's forehead with her fin. With that, she swam towards the back of the crowd of fish, motioning for Blue to address his School.

_Teacher Blue,_  Blue thought proudly, his heart still beating heavily.  _I'm Teacher Blue._

"Southwest Sea School!" Blue called. He scanned the crowd and smiled as he met Shannon, Light, and Cerulean's proud faces. "It is time to recognize that no matter what we do, the Lanturn are stronger than us. It is time to recognize that this is a battle that cannot be won, and put our survival first above anything else. The truth of the matter is that we will not survive for long if we stay here in the Southwest Sea. If we move to a new territory, we at least have the chance of finding a place with enough food for all of us, and fewer enemies. We will head north tomorrow night. Generally speaking, northern seas should have cooler temperatures, so we will start our search for territory in that direction. Does anyone have any questions?"

"I have a question for you, Blue," Leona spoke up. Blue glanced at the former School Teacher, surprised. Wasn't everything she needed to say, said?

"Yes, Leona?" Blue said.

"Teacher Blue," Leona said, "Why do you think I chose you to be the new School Teacher?"

_This is a test,_  Blue realized.  _A test to prove that I'm really worthy of being School Teacher. And since Leona chose me, I won't let her down._

"I wasn't able to defeat the Lanturn groups," Blue said slowly. "I thought I was a failure because of that. But… even so, my moves are a great help to the School. Also, I have experience as a Trained Pokemon." Blue's voice steadily grew more confident as he realized that he was right. "I knew about global warming, which pointed us in the direction of the solution to our problems. And I think I have solved our Lanturn problem as well. It was me who proposed that we move to a new territory." He knew the answer now. "Because of that, I think I am worthy of being the Southwest Sea School's new Teacher."

"That is correct, Blue," Leona said warmly, though Blue knew on the inside that there was no way he had failed the test. "I am confident that you will lead the School to more prosperous waters."

"Thank you, Leona," Blue said, bowing at the former School Teacher. "I promise to serve you all well." He gazed happily at his School, which looked up at him, faith in their new School Teacher in their eyes. He glanced at Shannon, who was smiling broadly, and realized something.

"My first order of business is that I would like to appoint an Assistant Teacher," Blue said. "I believe this will be good for the School as a whole. Shannon, will you be my Assistant Teacher?"

"I will be honored, Teacher Blue," Shannon said, dipping her head respectfully.

"Now, does anyone have any objections to what has happened during this School Assembly?" Blue asked.

"I sure do not," Shannon said. Then she began a cheer: "Teacher Blue! Teacher Blue!"

"Teacher Blue! Teacher Blue! Teacher Blue!"

Blue felt warmth and amazement inside of him as, gradually, the entire School joined in cheering for their new Teacher. As the cheering of the fish reverberated in his ears, Blue felt the assurance of his Schoolmates sinking deep into him. He knew that he was not going to let them down.

"No objections? Good," Blue said happily. as the cheering died down. "This School Assembly is now adjourned. We shall all head north tomorrow night."

oOo

Blue's fins glowed as he led his School northward. The goodbyes had all been taken care of earlier in the day, and now that it was night, the several dozen fish illuminated their fins as they swam forward into new seas.

_I'm going to miss Leona dearly,_  Blue thought,  _but I'm ready for the challenge of leading the School._

And as the School of Finneon and Lumineon swam northward in the darkness of the deep sea, their fins glowed, illuminating the expanse of blue ocean around them.

-END-

"LUMINEON swimming in the darkness of the deep sea look like stars shining in the night sky." - Lumineon's Pokedex entry from  _Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver_


End file.
